Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal: Another red card costs the Gunners

It was, Mikel Arteta admitted at full-time, an “accident waiting to happen”.

For the third time in eight league games this season, Arsenal were left scrapping for precious Premier League points with 10 men after William Saliba was dismissed for the very first time in his career.

It was another unavoidable red too. After Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice were sent off for delaying the restart against Manchester City and Brighton respectively, Trossard’s awkward first-time ball left Saliba in trouble and Evanilson took full advantage.

These mistakes could very well prove the difference in their bid to dethrone Manchester City and win a first Premier League title for more than 20 years.

As proven in the past two seasons, that is a difficult enough task as it is without playing an hour with a numerical disadvantage, and red cards have already cost the Gunners seven points at this relatively early stage.

Responding positively in upcoming league fixtures against Liverpool, Newcastle and Chelsea before the November international break is now paramount after being made to wait at least another week for the club’s 2,000th top-flight victory.